Bedtime affects a Player’s Performance

SHAFAQNA – Researchers from the University of Birmingham have found why Spanish teams have more success in European football. According to them, a player’s bedtime has huge impact on sport. Players, who are used to wake up early in the morning, reach their athletic peak around lunch, while the athletes, who wake up late, can have their best time in the evening, the researchers said.

Clock of a human body can control alertness and risk of a heart attack. The study published in the journal Current Biology showed that every player’s sleeping routines have a powerful impact on sport.

The researchers included 20 female hockey players in the study. The players were asked to perform a series of run in shorter and shorter time. According to the researchers, the players had completed the series of 20 meter at more than five different times of day between 7 am to 10 pm. Most of the players had peak performance time during late afternoon. After that, the researchers performed the study on players who wake up early, who wake up late and those in the middle.

According to reports, early risers’ performance peaked at about 12 pm, while late risers’ performance peaked after 8 pm. The study stated that performance of players in the middle peaked at about 4 pm.

Dr. Roland Brandstaetter, lead author of the study, said, “Athletes and coaches would benefit greatly if they knew when optimal or suboptimal performance time was. A 1% difference in performance would be the difference between fourth place and a medal in many Olympic events”.

According to the study, body clocks can be adjusted. Humans get jet lag when they feel rough before adjusting to a new time. Dr. Brandstaetter said that players can improve their performance by adjusting their body clocks.